rockit blog

You guys. How much fun was this? I loved reading all your sharing plans. (And I really noticed a food theme… glad I’m not the only one.)

Before I announce the winner I would just like to share some photographic evidence of Brody eating a cookie. This is important because it was the last of the entire batch of cookies I had made, which I would normally scarf down myself. Now, this is not one of the Girl Scout cookies I mentioned- I actually don’t have my order in yet- but this is a notable example of me being a mature, sharing adult. I just patted myself on the back. I also just think my little boy is cute and wanted an excuse to post this.

I have never run a giveaway or contest like this before and it’s kinda funny how nervous I got to draw a winner. We’re talking like butterflies in my stomach, scared to click-the-mouse kind of nervous- just as jittery as I would be if I was waiting to hear that I had won something myself. Every entry that came in made me say “Ooooh fun I hope they win!” It’s a good thing I made this a random drawing and not any sort of subjective contest because I would have gone into cardiac arrest trying to make any decisions here.

Anyway, I know you just want to hear the good news so here it is. After reviewing and double-checking entries and popping everyone into a sequence generator and random number generator courtesy of Random.org, our official winner is Sally Stanfill! Sally, you win TWO photo sessions- one for you and one to share with a friend! Sally has promised to working on sharing “my cookies. I don’t like it when Taylor tries to share the ones on MY plate :)” so it sounds like we are in good company. Sally, e-mail me to claim your victory!

Thank you everyone for entering, and I hope you are actually keeping up with your sharing. I’m out of town for a few days, which means I don’t have a husband to share the sink OR Girl Scout cookies with (insert evil plan laugh)… so I recommend that if you are having trouble keeping your sharing promise that you flee your home. Works like a charm.

Happy weekend!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. Thanks for your entries! Winner will be announced Friday night.

—-

The life of a toddler is tough… it’s not all animal cookies and afternoon naps in the sun. It’s filled with other not-so-nice stuff like pooping in your pants and sleeping in a bed with walls and being talked to in a foreign language (some call it “English”) all day long.

And then there is the worst part- the part where you have to watch another kid play with your favorite toy while your mom claps and grins. And then as soon as you steal your toy back, your friend picks up your new favorite toy to slobber on and your mom claps again. This is often called “sharing.”

We’re diving headfirst into the sharing stage of parenting in my house right now and it is not pretty. Sharing can be a hard thing, even for grown-ups. Teaching sharing, as it turns out, is even harder. I find myself constantly telling my toddler “sharing is fun!” in my most frantic excited voice, while nervously rotating balls and giraffes and push-toys around his playgroup buddies and waiting for someone to cry. Clearly my technique is not the most refined.

The truth is that sharing is not always “fun,” but sharing is good. And honestly, the more I think about, I am really not the best example of sharing- I’m actually pretty terrible. Please don’t ask my husband for his opinion. (And if you do ask, maybe subtly drop into the conversation that he can bring his own water bottle to the park if he thinks he might get thirsty while we’re out. Just sayin’.)

I’ve decided that if I’m going to teach my kid the value of sharing, I need to be a better sharer. I still dream at night of having separate bathroom sinks where I can brush my teeth in peace, but in real life big girls share the toothpaste and stand beside their husbands to scrub their teeth without elbowing. And I guess big girls probably don’t label their Girl Scout cookies “KARIN’S – DO NOT EAT” with a Sharpie (and then hide said Sharpie so no one else can use it), but we’re taking this one step at a time.

I can’t be the only one who struggles with this. So here we go. It’s time to start sharing. But in true petulant child form, if I have to do it, so do you.

Don’t worry; I’ll make it easy on you, and in this case, it actually will be fun. We all know it’s easier to share your brownies if you have two of them to begin with, so I am giving you something to share. ONE lucky person is going to win TWO spring photo sessions- one to keep and one to share with a friend!

Yes, you are reading that right. If you are the winner you get a full lifestyle portrait session (valued at $200) of whatever you choose- your growing belly, your kids, your whole family, your fiancé- absolutely free. And you get the exact same thing to share with whomever you choose!

To enter:
• Leave a comment on this post telling me one thing you are going to do a better job sharing.

To earn an extra entry, help spread the word. Do any of the following and comment on this post telling me what you did and earn one extra entry for each:

• “Like” Rockit Photography on Facebook (If you’re already a Facebook fan, that counts, too- just let me know!)
• Link to this blog post in your Facebook status and include something like “Rockit Photography is making sharing fun with a photo session GIVEAWAY!”
• Mention this contest on your own blog.

Other important rules: Contest ends 3/6/12 at midnight EST. Winner will be selected at random from all entries received. If you cheat I’ll cry and disqualify you. E-mails or comments on the Rockit Facebook page are welcomed, but only comments on this blog post will count as official contest entries. Winner will be announced on the blog 3/9/12. If winner does not respond within one week, an alternate winner will be selected. Awarded sessions must take place by 6/30/12. No cash value. Travel costs (if applicable) will be the responsibility of the winner.

Oh, and don’t panic if your entry comment does show up right away. If you’ve never commented before I’ll have to confirm that you’re not spam before your comment posts. I approve comments periodically throughout the day so just be patient and check back in a few hours. : )

Good luck! Now go pull out that hidden stash of Thin Mints and give one to your neighbor.

Sorry for the whiny and somewhat random post last night. I cannot be held responsible for my actions after consuming a disappointing homemade milkshake. Can anyone?

I went to the doctor today and am very happy that she confirmed the weekend diagnosis that I don’t have strep. Whew. I’m feeling much better and taking it easy for one more day (oh how this “resting” has wreaked havoc on my running schedule) but things are looking up!

Anyway, just popping in with a few quick reminders since I’ve been MIA:

- The newborn babylove special ends this week! Book any newborn package by the end of February and get $100 off. If you are even a little bit pregnant and planning to call me for newborn portraits in the next several months you should snag this deal now! This would also make an amazing gift for your favorite preggo (husbands can get MAJOR brownie points here!)

- Are you on the e-mail newsletter list? There’s a new issue in the works and headed out to the internet mailman soon! Sign up so you don’t miss any good stuff.

- I still want a milkshake even though my throat feels better. Peace out for now.

Who thought that could ever happen- sick and tired of applesauce? I am very fond of applesauce, but generally not as a main course for five days straight. Let’s review the past few days, shall we?

Thursday: Hello stomach bug. Hello toddler that also has the stomach bug. Let’s see who can keep down their applesauce the longest.
Friday: Stomach bug, you are still here, but you are crawling away. Applesauce to celebrate.
Saturday: Good riddance stomach bug. Tonsillitis, no one invited you! At least you are not strep. Applesauce to celebrate.
Sunday: Tonsils, you are not supposed to touch each other. Are you sure strep isn’t secretly involved there? Let’s eat some applesauce and think about it.
Monday: Hi again applesauce. I am tired of you. Let’s call the doctor and get an appointment for Tuesday.

I didn’t even instagram my applesauce. You KNOW that means I wasn’t feeling well. I have no real record of my past few days except for this- a cat that would not leave me alone.

Why? Not because she is a caring, snuggly cat like the ones I had growing up that purred and curled up by your side when you weren’t feeling well. No, no, she just wanted to steal the heating pad that I was using for my achy body. You can see it in her eyes. No mercy.

My husband apparently has some sort of superhuman immune system (whatwhat public school teachers!) and has soared through all this like a champ- taking care of a sick kid and me, then taking care of a healthy kid and trying to keep him away from me, AND managing to keep the house running, pets alive, and soccer team going. I’m going to cook him an 18-course meal and fan him with palm fronds when all this is over.

For now, I am really, really DONE with laying in bed and DONE with being stuck in the house. Unfortunately I am NOT done with the mountain of work I left on my desk last week, and I am NOT done being a mom, and I still feel pretty icky.

I also really, really want a milkshake- specifically a Rush’s milkshake- but the milkshake fairy did not fly by my house this evening and I didn’t have time to drive to South Carolina. I tried to make one myself, but we only had a tiny bit of ice cream left and even though it had tasted good in a bowl it didn’t transfer well to a homemade milkshake. Boooo. I took its picture anyway because it was cold and at least I could swallow it.

I’m tempted to ramble on longer just so I can avoid getting in bed for the 800th time, but that really won’t do anyone any good. I’ll try to be a bit less whiny with my next post. I had some good stuff slated for last week, so I’m working on getting that ready for this week. In the meantime, you should stay away from everyone with germs. And cats. And applesauce.

In just a few short weeks (or days??), Heather and Brian will be welcoming baby girl number two. This totally blows my mind, because their daughter Maddie is the same age as my Little Monster, and weren’t they JUST BORN last week? I’m pretty sure Heather and I only just met at our first playgroup with our sleepy, hungry infants a few short days ago.

But in reality, it’s been over a year and a half and these kids are talking and running and saying “no” and throwing tantrums and giving kisses. And suddenly, baby Maddie is about to be a big sister. We wanted to capture a bit of their life together as a family of three before everything gets turned upside down in the whirlwind of love and chaos that only a newborn can bring.

Now that they live in Virginia I don’t get to see Heather and Maddie on a weekly basis anymore, so it was such a treat to spend a chilly February afternoon with them. I tried hard to not gawk at how amazing Heather looks, but let’s be honest, that was hard to do. She is the definition of how to “rock the bump.” And the way Brian loves his girls is just too precious for words. Ok, I’ll stop babbling now and just jump right into the pictures. I kind of hope Heather sticks her belly up to the computer screen so that baby girl can see what a great family she is getting.